CORALION
by Archery Shootingstar Bright
Summary: Story of Coraline played out in the world of The Lion King! Cast/twists to be prepared for will be listed inside. Kiara's boring life changes forever when she encounters a new, more interesting but also more threatening version of her home. Plz R&R!
1. Opening Introduction

**Just a note, I also made a little trailer for this here, if you're interested (and I hope you are): **

.com/watch?v=iLgzq85maOQ&feature=channel_page

**[just add "youtube" in front of the link above...I don't know why that part won't show up here.]**

**It started with a video trailer mashup, then I just loved the idea so much I decided to take one step furthur and write out the story, too!**

**Enjoy!**

_Around cave walls, there are paintings and engravings- all of lion cubs (coincidentally?). _

_The first lion cub has fur of rich goldish-brown color, black-lined ears, and a particular birthmark of some kind, hardly standing out, on its forehead. _

_The second cub has paler fur and lighter, bright green eyes. _

_The next cub is identical to the one sketched on a board of wood, which is sitting on the ground. _

_Needle-sharp claws that are so long and thin they appear almost as fingers takes out the board of wood. On it is a drawing of a lion cub with sand-colored fur and dark marks around its eyes, which have bangs of fur hanging over them._

_Carefully and steadily, the claws wash and dry the wooden board, which is amazingly sturdy. The drawing is faded now. _

_Over it, the claws completely paint over it, so that the wooden board shows no trace of it. _

_Then, the claws steadily scratch to leave engravings on it. _

_When the sketch is done, the tips of the claws delicately dip themselves in paint and progressively trace the outlines on the board, coloring the tight spaces sharply and accurately._

_At last, the masterpiece is finished: it's yet another lion cub, with a fur coat the color of apricot, a mix of gold and light tan, and mahogany eyes. And if one looks closely, one could possibly spot a so-barely-noticeable-that-it-might-not-even-be-there discoloring on the forehead. _

_Who were those cubs, and how is the last one different?_

**Hey **_**The Lion King**_** and **_**Coraline**_** fans! Get ready for the fantastic story of Coraline with an awesome twist! **

**This is just the beginning...I'll explain more along the way. Please review! I get really annoyed when I find out someone's faved something or added something to story alerts without reviewing at all! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the story of Coraline, or anything of Coraline for that matter, nor do I own The Lion King. **

**This is based on the movie, but also inspired by the book (later on there may be something inspired by descriptions or lines in the book).**

**One thing I must clarifiy for future reference, to survive reading the later chapters, you must be ready to forget all you know about who's related to who as of The Lion King characters.**

**i.e. Kiara will not be the daughter of Simba and Nala (surprising to think, I know). The only Simba and Nala you'll know in this story are the young cubs who crossed their borders. Kiara still exists, of course, she just has different parents. **

**And Kovu and Kiara do not grow up in this story either. **

**There is no Outsiders pride. If there is, they're not involved in this story, so Kovu, Nuka, and Zira are not Outsiders. Zira is not the mother of Nuka or Kovu. Nor Vitani. You may or may not know why..well you'll see.**

**I'll lay it out for you more when the first chapter begins. **

**R&R please! Much appreciated! **


	2. New Residents at Pride Rock

**CORALION**

Pride Rock used to be a place of royalty, in the past. But that was such a long time ago. Now, there was nothing royal about it, except that it was a high, fine place to live. And that it was big. So big, in fact, that when a family chose it for a home, it was a split-up property, with other neighbors living on the other side of the house. Walls of rock were built between the flats.

Recently, a couple decided to move in to Pride Rock, along with their daughter, Kiara. Kiara's fur was a mix of gold and tan, with a sort of apricot color. Her eyes were mahogany. She was a normal little cub- with an adventurous streak.

Her family had just moved in and was already too busy for her. They had to get used to their new home to settle in, so her parents had to go around and talk to the locals. And when they weren't talking to the locals, they were working on adapting to hunting in appropriate areas. And when they weren't doing _that_, they were napping.

Kiara was bored to death. She was an only child and did not live in an extended pride like others did, so she had no one to wrestle or play with. She did not want to waste time sleeping her life away. Why did grownups sleep so much?

So, she went exploring. Outside to the great fields of tall, scratchy, dry grass she investigated, searching for something like maybe a river to swim in or a hill to climb and run around in. She found a pond and a fallen log over it as a bridge. She crossed it while looking around and up at the sky. It seemed like a more barren environment. The streams were murky and the grass was almost dead. The clouds gathered together in the sky to guarantee a storm to be germinated soon.

Suddenly, the log beneath her feet discontinued and because she wasn't watching where she was going, she tripped over and fell on the scorched dirt, bumping into another cub about her age.

She got back up to her feet and growled at the other cub. He had a darker, brown-toned fur that looked was so rugged that it looked like he played around dirt a lot, with a little bit of a messed-up, minor mane-to-be, sprouting only on the top of his head, colored with an even darker shade of brown. His eyes were a solid green, with darker tones of brown on the fur around them.

"Watch it!" Kiara snapped. "Didn't you see me coming?"

The other cub recovered quickly, also, and hopped back up on fours. "Geez, sorry. But _you_ really should watch where you're going, too."

Kiara narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

The other cub answered, "Studying the dirt and looking for bugs."

Kiara thought this sounded weird. "Why bugs?"

"They're sort of fun to test things out on," the other cub shrugged. "What about you? What are you doing out here?"

"Exploring," Kiara replied. "I thought maybe it'd be nice to swim, or climb, or hunt for things."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"Whatever. Besides, you're curious about bugs."

"Fair enough. Well, you wouldn't want to swim in this pond," the other cub said.

"Why?" Kiara demanded. "Because it's a little dirty?" Who cared about a little bit of dirt in water? Or was he implying that she was too afraid to swim in it?

"No, because it's so unclear that you can't even see how deep it is, or how what's ahead of you," the other cub replied. "And a poisonous snake once died in it. They say its venom is spreading from the depths of it."

Kiara gasped and shuddered. She could have almost fallen in it! She backed away from water.

"I'm Kovu, by the way. It means 'scar'. I don't know why I was named that. I don't get scars at all because I don't even bruise or scratch that easily. My skin and fur's too tough for that. Well, wasn't my choice anyway, but at least it sounds tough. What were you saddled with?"

"I _wasn't_ _saddled _with anything. It's Kiara."

"Kira?"

"No. _Kiara_."

"Kiara. Hmm…that means 'dark one' in one language. Your name has the weirdest meaning, no offense."

Kiara snarled at him, teeth slightly bared. What was his business in what her name meant in some foreign language? Besides, she was sure it meant other stuff, too.

"So, is your family living in Pride Rock now?" Kovu asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. So?" Kiara said.

"Well, I heard that a royal family once lived there. Back when there were still kings and queens and all that stuff," Kovu said. "Ever heard about that?"

"Yeah," Kiara said. "But it's not that great anymore, anyway. And we only own a portion of it." Then she cocked her head in curiosity. "Wait, you live nearby, right? Before we even moved in? So why didn't you claim Pride Rock first?" That would have been the sensible thing to do, anyway.

"Well, my older brother Nuka said that it's cursed," Kovu said. "Not that I believe in that stuff anyway, but Nuka says we better stay clear of that property."

"Why would it be cursed?" Kiara asked.

"Because there's this legend that says that the last prince to live in it disappeared and never returned one day. I think his name was something like…Simba? Yeah, and no one knows what happened," Kovu explained. "It sounds kinda crazy, if you ask me."

"Strange story," Kiara commented. "But whatever. I don't think little stories will change anything. Pride Rock's still the same old boring giant rock it always was. Superstitions and fairy tales with a cliff hanger at the end are ridiculous." _Although they maybe do make things more interesting. _

"You know, it might be a coincidence, but I think there's more than one story about Pride Rock, and how someone disappeared in it…" Kovu added uneasily. "I don't really think I should talk about it…"

"Oh, you think you'll spook me?" Kiara challenged. "Try me."

"Well…um, I gotta go. My brother's calling me. Well, it was nice meeting a runaway princess"- here, maybe most girls would've been flattered or just slightly teased, but Kiara was irritated and insulted at this remark. She sensed mockery in his voice-"Watch out for any bad luck on your way home."

"I'm not scared of that," Kiara disputed. Did this Kovu seriously believe that she was the type of girl to be scared so easily of everything? The type of cub that would freak out over a little story? She stuck out her tongue at him as he turned and bounded away.

It looked like it would rain soon, so she carefully crossed the log-bridge on her way home. Looking down at the water, she thought about what Kovu had said about the poisonous snake that died there, and wondered if it was true. It was too filthy to really tell if there was anything even below that water. She broke her sight away from it and hurriedly rushed home. Soon enough, rain was pouring down, and it remained that way.

The next morning didn't even look or feel like a morning. The skies were still cloudy, causing everywhere to look dark as if the sun hadn't come out yet.

Inside Pride Rock, when her parents were still busy, Kiara was once again bored. She stared outside, which was just some feet away from the Pride Rock roof.

Casually, the little lion cub said, "I almost fell down a poisonous pond yesterday, Mom."

"Uh-huh…" mumbled her mother, who was busy tearing apart the raw, rough, leftover meat for lunch.

"I would've died," Kiara added, hoping to catch her mother's attention, but knowing it was pointless.

"That's nice," was all her mother said. "All right, lunch time."

"Ugh. Antelope again?" Kiara complained. "Mom, it's already rotten, I bet. It's lasted for days."

Because their family was smaller than the average lion pride, their food was saved longer, even though it never stayed fresh. Besides, Kiara was getting sick of antelope all the time.

"Dad, why couldn't you hunt something else besides antelope?" Kiara whined. "I think antelope rots faster."

She hated it when her father hunted. It was embarrassing. It was supposed to be a lioness's job. Her father didn't make good enough choices in hunting. He had hunted a rather sickly antelope, Kiara believed. Plus, he must have had dragged it over the dried blood of some other animals lying down, and it could have been picked on by vultures here and there, considering the gross flavor on the skin. Hunting wasn't really his strong suit. Because he hunted as a party of one, there could only be one animal hunted per meal, or most likely, per week.

"I will next time, but to save time, I think it's best to hunt where antelope are first. It's the place I'm most familiar with and it's the shortest distance."

"Why can't you hunt, Mom?" she groaned.

"Kiara, you should know that your father will hunt for us until we can settle in this place long enough," her mother said. "I am a lioness party of one, and it would be a big risk for me to hunt alone with no experience here. Your father will hunt for this family for now because he can handle new places better."

"That's not really a good enough reason," Kiara said. "And I am tired of always having antelope. It's not even healthy, I'll bet."

"Kiara, that's enough complaining. Be thankful you have something to eat, anyway. You should appreciate that your father would hunt while I handle some of the other problems at home. Now eat your lunch," her mother ordered.

"I lost my appetite already," Kiara said flatly, after swallowing a tiny, third bite. "I think I'm just gonna go to my room."

And she was still bored, just lying there, listening to the ongoing beatings of the rain against the stone roof over her head. She wasn't the least bit tired, because the day had just started. But she was so bored there was nothing else to do. And in the boredom she fell asleep anyway, hoping that at least her dreams could have been exciting.

But it was a dreamless sleep. When she woke from it, she found that outside it was still raining, but not as hard. _I can handle going out in the rain, _she thought.

Later on, she got up and went to her mother, who was in the middle of a conference with a leopard.

"Hey, isn't it the _perfect _weather to go out to play?" Kiara said.

Her mother didn't even look up. "No, I don't think so, Kiara. It's still drizzling, and it could rain again soon. Rain makes it cold, cold temperatures affect your health. And don't forget mud. I'm not gonna lick you clean from _mud_. "

"It's just a drizzle!" Kiara protested. "It's just water. The same thing you drink."

"No, it's not, Kiara. Comparing playing in the rain to the drinking out of the water hole is like comparing an elephant shrew to a natural elephant. There's no way you're going out in that rain."

Kiara scoffed and looked away in impatience.

"Besides, you have claw sharpening to do. And later it's time for your bath. And you better catch up on your sleep."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "That sounds _exciting_," she muttered in sarcasm.

"Oh, somebody left this outside. I think you should get a look at it." Her mother pushed aside a wooden board.

It was covered in dirt, so Kiara had to brush it off to see what was on it. It was artwork. It was a drawing of a cub, with the same fur color as her, and it even got, as she looked closely, the little spot beneath her paw that was scarred when she was little, and the barely noticeable-at-first-glance birthmark she had. It was an almost invisible discoloring across her forehead. It was very complex.

There was only one cub that could have gotten this: Kovu. After all, the piece was speckled with dirt. He was the only one around this place so far that hung around her long enough to spot such specific details, though it was still a bewildering miracle how he could catch such little details. And it was also questionable why, when he just met her and since they didn't get off to a good start, he would make such a thing.

"So, you know who sent this?" her mother asked.

"Yeah. This weirdo named Kovu. He thinks he's so cool to just hang around dirt all the time, and because his name means 'scar'. It's lame that he'd make a portrait of someone he just met."

She kicked the board aside until it stopped at a rock.

"Mom, I'm bored," she grumbled.

"Then find something to do," her mother said simply, wanting her to leave her alone.

"Like what?" Kiara said.

"Ask your father," her mother said.

Kiara bounded over to the den where her father was sleeping.

"Dad, what should I do now?" Kiara inquired.

No reply.

She kept repeating herself, annoyed, until at last her father mumbled a response.

"Well what do you want to do?" her father said, not opening his eyes. It was obvious that he didn't want her hanging around here, judging by the tired tone in his voice.

"I want to go outside. It's only drizzling," Kiara said.

"And what does your mother say about that?"

"She said, 'There's no way you're going out in the rain, Kiara!'"

"Then no."

"But I want to keep exploring," Kiara whined.

Her dad seemed not to be listening.

Kiara brought out her claws and scratched the stone walls, making an irritating screech that surely would get her father to listen.

And he did. He groaned, trying to sleep.

At last, her father suggested, "Then explore Pride Rock. Dig for buried treasure or something. Maybe you'll find something of royalty. Just let me rest!"

"Yeah, sure."

**So yeah, you guessed it- Kovu will stand in for Wybie. Kiara will stand in for Coraline.**

**Pride Rock stands in for Pink Palace Apartments. So you have to kinda imagine it split up into different "apartments" (dens). **

**Character changes include: Zira is not the mother of Kovu or Nuka. Kovu lives in the neighboring Outlands with his older brother Nuka. Just a broken family, pretty much. The Outlands are not a place of banishment, and aren't that flea-bitten. Because of this, Nuka wouldn't be as scrawny or ragged as you know him. And remember- there are no Outsiders anymore...also, in case you're confused, don't forget that Kiara's parents aren't Simba and Nala. Oh, and rather obviously, Kiara it not royalty. **

**Any questions? Ask me. Comments are much appreciated. I don't want you to fave this or add this to story alerts without commenting. Thanks!**


	3. Limited Exploration

Kiara left her dozing father, grumbling with each step she took. She looked wistfully out to the great lands ahead, just outside.

_It's only drizzling_, she muttered in her thoughts.

There wasn't even much to explore inside Pride Rock anyway. Kiara tried to make the best out of looking around.

_If I had some brothers or sisters, we could play hide-and-seek in this mansion, _she mused. _But I'm an only child in a boring home. _

In one area, she turned around a stone-walled corner to find herself staring straight at a filthy wall, covered in disgusting creepy-crawlies. "Ugh!" the little cub yelled. She lunged at the insects, swatting them with the merciless force in her paws. She made an attack to every moving bug she could spot; ignoring the icky feeling it gave her paws.

After there wasn't a single pest remaining, she glanced under her paws, grossed out by the squashed insect guts.

Looking back at Pride Rock, she realized her mother wouldn't notice her gone at all, so the little cub scampered out, but also with caution just in case.

The drizzling was very light now- the clouds were even parted and there was slight sunlight. Her mother would hate her for going out because of the mud left over from the rainfall, but Kiara was sure her mother wouldn't object to her dipping her paws in the pond for a quick wash. It was better than washing in a murky puddle or rubbing on the walls of Pride Rock.

Just then, a little innocent butterfly happened to flutter across. Kiara couldn't help but smile. _See? Even a little butterfly can get around fine, so why can't I? The weather's really fine. There are just slight breezes and occasional muddy puddles, but it's not bad. _

She reached out her paws to gently touch the sensitive butterfly, which responded in flittering away swiftly. She giggled and began to chase it, growling with a smile. Who didn't enjoy a nice game of playing hunter?

"Grrrr-r-a-o-w-r—oof!"

Kiara had fallen flat. She turned and saw that her father had stepped on her tail. He looked rather tired, with those half-closed eyes and that sleepy voice that said, "Where do you think you're going, Kiara dear?"

"Aw, Dad, can't I go for just a little bit? Mom said I couldn't go out in the _rain_. I won't go far. Just to the little pond," Kiara promised. "Mom would like it better if I cleaned myself off, wouldn't she?"

"Oh, very well," her weary father yawned, lifting his gentle paw off her tail. "Just don't tell your mother. And while we're just adjusting to settling in, I want you to stay close to Pride Rock-"

"At all times, "Kiara finished, rubbing her paws slightly back and forth over the ground to get the disgusting bug gut feeling off. "I know, I know. And if I sense any hint of rain, wind, or anything of the sort, don't stay there any longer. Come straight home. Okay, okay, can I go now? Please?"

"Go ahead, then," her father nodded, turning back to the den to get some more rest.

Kiara went on ahead, catching up with the pretty little butterfly, playfully chasing along the way. It was just a little harmless chase. If she could have any playmates at the moment, she would've had a more competitive and intensive game. One that was more fun.

At last the little butterfly landed on a rock, opening and closing its wings casually.

Kiara ducked down into the tall grass and whispered to herself, with a temporary smile, "The mighty hunter has cornered her prey…"

Growling lightheartedly, she crept up on the butterfly and then pounced toward it. She knew the butterfly would get away in time- and it did.

Then she saw the butterfly land once again a step ahead of the rock.

Kiara shrugged. What was the harm of pouncing just once more before going back to her plan of washing up?

So she got into a ready position…and sprung at it again.

This time, the butterfly had been tricky. Who knew the miniature cliff she was going to land on would be so slippery? Kiara lost her balance and slid right off- and into the pond.

"AUGH!" the lion cub yelped, getting up with her fur coat soaking wet. "Dumb butterfly." The cold water reached up to her chin. She managed to get out fine, but she couldn't help but complain.

Kiara forgot the little moment of no worries she had with the game of hunting the butterfly. Now all she could think of was how stupidly pitifully boring or wrong things were here. She had only wanted to cleanse her paws in the water- not fall into it!

Kiara shook herself off. The liquid still dripped from the tips of her fur, but she just sighed and shrugged. Her mother wouldn't notice, now would she?

Just then, thunder clasped, muffled from far away. Drizzles of rain began to sprinkle down.

"Already? Geez, " Kiara grumbled, rushing home.

She was right. Her mom didn't notice yet. In fact, not even at all. The cub could easily shake off the remainder of water that dripped off her damp fur.

Kiara sighed and continued exploring. She snuck outside once again and tried to measure Pride Rock's perimeter by the amount of steps she took. After that she measured the inside as best as she could. They say that if the measurements weren't even close to matching, there must be a secret room hidden inside.

Kiara soon lost count anyway and gave up measuring.

She explored a little empty cave with smudged up paintings here and there. She took mental notes.

"One boring drawing of a boring blurred cub on a painfully boring rocky wall," the uninterested cub mumbled. She guessed that it was an old portrait of a prince who had previously lived here in the past.

Surprisingly, any other royal paintings were all too faded to be seen.

The little lion cub tired of exploring just the indoors. But her only other choice was to sleep. And what fun was that, when you're wide awake and you just know your dreams would be as dull as real life?

Kiara had thought she had found an old underground tunnel but eventually it just turned out to be a deep hole with lots of bugs, and she covered it up again.

It was useless. No excitement here.

She re-explored the little cave with the painting in it.

"Huh? That's weird," Kiara said, recognizing a little portrait of herself on the wall. She approached it quickly. She could've sworn it was of herself, but maybe she had only wished it was.

There was nothing there that resembled her. However, stepping closer to the wall, Kiara's paw found the wooden board with her portrait on it.

"I thought I got rid of this," Kiara whispered to no one in particular, rolling her eyes.

She went outside, sneakily again, and buried it. Then, after thinking it over, she uncovered it again.

She was beginning to like this drawing. It was kinda impressive. _It's the only thing around here that's a good listener to me so far, _she thought.

She had no idea.

**OK, so maybe I made a few tweaks here and there...but overall you can still recognize the similarities to the original right? **

**Stay tuned for her ultimate discovery! :)**

**Special thanks to buttonsxforxeyes for the reviews! I appreciate them! **


	4. Discovering the Other World

Kiara couldn't help but admire the painting of her. _That Kovu seriously needs a better hobby…hmm… his photographic memory is kinda scary how it's accurate._

Something was bounding around just outside Pride Rock; she noticed suddenly (when you're bored, you tend to be more aware of some things than you would normally).

Kiara stared outside for a moment, squinting a little to try to spot what it was.

_Probably a rabbit. _

She looked back at noticed the board with her portrait was gone. "That's really weird…"

The cub got up and inspected the little corner of the den, inching her way alongside the cave walls.

"All right, where are you hiding?"

At last she found it. With her claws, she picked it up, then tossed it aside when she realized there was a peculiar pile of dirt and rocks it had been leaning against.

"Odd…" It had not stood out to Kiara before.

"Maybe something's buried here," she thought aloud to excite herself. The curious cub dug furiously nonstop until there was a rather heavy boulder she could not remove. It was getting in the way.

After much struggling and repetitive defeat, Kiara called out, "Hey, Mom! I think if you move this it leads somewhere."

She repeated, this time louder, after getting no response. "MOM! Come here PLEASE?! It's blocked! I'm really sure it leads to something."

"I'm really, REALLY BUSY!" replied her mother.

"PLEASE?!" Kiara shouted stubbornly. _You're always busy doing who-cares-what, talking to who-cares-who. Consider this a very little break from the stress of that, _she thought part-smugly.

Kiara's mother gave in with a frustrated sigh and entered the den she was in.

The grown lioness glanced at the pile of dirt and scattered rocks next to the little cub that was dying to discover something new, then at the heavy boulder that Kiara had tried so impatiently to roll away.

Kiara's mother grumbled with annoyance. "Will you stop pestering me if I do this for you?"

Kiara nodded instantly, giving cute, begging eyes followed by a little smile that said "I promise!" and a "Pleeeeaase?"

"Fine," sighed her mother with a tone of irritation in her voice. The parent pushed with the strength of an adult at the large, heavy rock and removed it off to the side.

Kiara's face of anticipation fell to a flat, bored, and confused expression all over again.

"Just more rocks?" She tried with her might to get them dug out. "Ow!"

"Don't even try. You'll only break more claws. These rocks are stuck in too firm. They must have removed part of Pride Rock's walls a long time ago, and recently filled it in again once the opening was no longer needed, in order to make the dens divided," explained her mother.

"I still don't get it. Why would they need to make such a small opening a long time ago?" Kiara questioned.

"Uh, we made a deal. Zip it!" her mother snapped, turning to leave. "And clean up that mess, Kiara."

"You didn't re-block it," Kiara pointed out.

"Why should I? It's already blocked enough. There'd be no point." Kiara's mother responded.  
"It's too bad it can't go further," Kiara mumbled to the drawing of herself as if it were an imaginary friend who was a good listener. She began to sweep the dirt toward the wall and the rocks the same. "I had really hoped it would've made a difference."

That evening, Kiara had yet another predictable, disgusting dinner, hunted by no one else than her father.

Okay, this time it was worse.

"Ew! Bad enough you didn't hunt well, but is it really necessary to add toppings?" complained the grossed out youngster.

There were some grass and even a few bugs, Kiara spotted, on the blades of grass.

"See? This is why it's the lionesses' job to do the hunting," she murmured.

She decided to skip dinner that night. "I'm gonna go on a hunger strike," she announced. "Until I can get something I can be positive is edible."

"If you're not having dinner, we'll save the leftovers for your breakfast. You can't get rid of it that easy," her mother told her.

"So? It's always the same, anyway," Kiara said.

"Then it's bedtime for you," her father said. "If you won't have supper."

"Fine," Kiara said. "Bedtime it is." She dragged her treasured little board with her portrait drawn on it behind her. "You saw that food didn't you?" she said to it. "Think they're trying to poison me?" She imagined the drawing version of her nodding in agreement.

Sighing, the cub approached her room and collapsed on the floor as if she were too tired to move. She scoffed at the idea. _As if there were enough to do to make me that tired. _She was only exhausted of complete boredom.

She took a quick check at the open Pride Rock view, as far as she could see into the horizon at the darkening sky. She thought of the friends she had left behind since her family had moved. They could've easily moved on without her, because they came from larger prides. "Please don't forget about me, guys," Kiara whispered. Then she went back to her room to try to sleep.

Kiara tossed and turned in frustration, trying to sleep but it was only in vain.

_What's there to possibly stay up for? Nothing! Then why can't I sleep?_

Her ears pricked up to a little scurrying noise.

It went on too long to ignore. Kiara got up quietly and tried to track down the origin of the little noise.

If she was in luck, it could be a little something she could independently and secretly hunt down for a midnight snack.

She sniffed it out and crouched low to the ground, scanning the floor with her senses. At last she found it- in the biggest den of their side of the property.

It was a mouse.

Kiara forgot her hunger and for some reason didn't want to kill it. But it didn't hurt to follow it for a little bit.

The lion cub sneakily chased it, having a little fun.

It then skedaddled without hesitation into a little opening in the wall.

Kiara stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded. _Wasn't this just blocked with those stones this afternoon? _

She peeked in, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her in the dark. To her amazement, there was a colorful, clear tunnel opening up in front of her, as if it was waiting only for her.

_What are you waiting for? _she urged herself in her thoughts.

Kiara stepped into the bright portal. It felt firm and flexible at the same time.

She crawled on and on through the space, anxious to see where it led. She at last reached a solid ground again through another opening and observed where she was.

"Huh?" she said to herself in pure confusion. The walls had the same royal painting of the prince who had lived here long ago. This was still the same den.

Then she looked more carefully at her surroundings. The paintings on the walls were brighter and looked more like they would dance in the air, she noticed. In fact, the painting of the prince here was clearer than and not as blurred as before, and it seemed different besides that, too. The prince seemed to smile more in this picture. In fact, he seemed to be full of excitement and pride, as if he would be crowned very soon or something to that effect.

Kiara also realized that there were more paintings on the walls here, too. Another one looked like a young lioness warrior-in-training or something, but she didn't stay to stare at it long enough as she sniffed the air and caught a delicious aroma, and followed it.

As she followed the scent, a soft humming became more audible…

Kiara followed until she saw…

"Mom? What are you doing up so late…?" Kiara asked but stopped short the moment the lioness with her back turned quickly spun around and met her face to face.

"You're just in time for supper, dear," said the lioness sweetly. Her expression was purely welcoming and inviting and her tone was calm and kind. This lioness looked exactly like Kiara's mother except…

Staring back at Kiara were two shiny, polished, gleaming black button eyes. The lion cub was speechless as she gasped in surprise.

This was not her mother.


	5. Meeting the Other Parents

Kiara finally overcame her speechlessness and said, "You're not my mother. My mother doesn't have…b-b-b-"

She was too overcome with surprise to say it without stammering.

"B-b-buttons?" laughed the strange lioness. "Do you like them? I'm your _other _mother, silly. Now go tell your other father that supper is ready."

Kiara froze, still stunned at this so-called other mother.

"Well go on," said the Other Mother gently.

Kiara left cautiously, still unable to stop staring at the Other Mother in a curious way.

She reached the master den but found that instead of slight snoring or yawning she heard…a rather upbeat _music_. Interestedly, she entered it and came upon a surprisingly colorful den with arrangements everywhere. It sure beat the dull old master den with the blah cracked walls.

There was her father there. But he was grinning as if he was never tired in his life, as if he could stay up for hours. No, this was her "other father". Her real father was never like that, at least, not recently. "Well hello, Kiara," he greeted with the utmost pleasure in his voice. His shiny, polished black buttons shone as if to wink.

"Well, you're sure not my father," Kiara affirmed. "My father isn't into playing music."

"It's called a xylophone," the Other Father explained excitedly, gesturing toward the vibrant instrument in front of him. It was made up of various different containers, some strong strings made of vine, some solid pebbles and stones, and an array of glasses put all together to form a majestic invention unlike anything Kiara had ever seen. "Of course, I've added some extra styles to it, too," the Other Father added.

"It's amazing," Kiara marveled. But she caught herself and tried not to let her guard down. This was still suspicious. "Well, then my real father doesn't play the xylophone or whatever else this is."

"I don't play them. They play me. Look."

Kiara observed as her Other Father slipped something around his paws as he began to play an upbeat tune. At first, he was playing around different stones that rang and chimed tunes. Then, even more magically, he lifted his paws off and somehow they kept right on playing the catchy song along with his singing.

"_Making up a song about Kiara_

_She deserves to be crowned a tiara_

_She's as cute as a button in the eyes of everyone who ever laid their eyes on Ki-ara_

_When she comes around exploring her mom and I would never ever make it boring_

_Our eyes would be on our Kiara"_

Kiara was speechless.

"Wow," she said. "Um, the Other Mother said it's time for supper now."

"Great! I'm starved," the Other Father got up. "After supper I'll let you try out the instrument."

Kiara approached it closer and tapped her paw against it to experiment. Then she turned and followed her Other Father.

* * *

_The young prince Simba watched as his father went off to fight. "I never get to go anywhere," he complained to himself. _

"_Oh, young master, one day you will be king and then you can fight slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers from dawn until dusk." _

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever," Simba grumbled. "That's a long way off. I want to be king already. I want to RULE!" _

"_Remember, Simba, there's more to being king than getting your way all the time."_

"_There's MORE?!" he said excitedly. He sighed, "Why do I have to wait until I grow up to rule over the Pride lands?"_

_He sulked into his den and saw the little secret tunnel he had discovered the night before. That place sure beat the lectures and watching he did every day. He was alone. It was glowing and open, enticing him to enter. _

_He decided to leave. And he was going to bring his best friend, too. _

"_Hey, Nala," greeted the cub as he neared where Nala was with her mom. Nala was the daughter of one of the best warrior lionesses in the kingdom. She was destined to grow up and take her place in her mother's paw prints as a warrior. _

"_Hi, Simba," Nala grinned, her green eyes twinkling. _

"_Come on, I wanna show you this great place," he whispered. _

"_Simba! I'm kinda in the middle of a bath," Nala retorted. _

"_And it's time for yours," said Simba's mom. Simba's eyes widened in horror as his mother gently picked him up and firmly held him close to lick clean. _

"_Mom!" the prince whined. He didn't like being all clean. He liked to play around and get dirty. A most unbecoming habit for royalty, but he didn't think so. "Mom, you're messing up my mane."_

_His mane was the smallest mane ever. There were lionesses with head fur thicker than his mane. _

"_Okay, okay, I'm clean! Can we go now?" Simba said impatiently. _

"_So where're we going? It better not be anyplace dumb," said Nala. _

"_No, it's really cool," Simba insisted. _

"_So where is this really cool place?" Simba's mom asked. _

_Simba winced on the inside. "Oh…over by the water hole," he fibbed. _

"_The water hole? What's so great about the water hole?" Nala demanded. _

_Simba smiled sheepishly before turning to his friend. "I'll show you when we get there," he hissed through clenched teeth. _

_Getting the picture, Nala asked, "Uh, Mom, can I go with Simba?" _

"_Hmmm, what do you think, Sarabi, your highness?" _

"_Well…"the queen said uneasily._

"_Please?" the two cubs chorused. _

"_It's alright with me," Sarabi shrugged. "Don't stay too long. And Simba, keep yourself clean, you got that?" _

_Simba and Nala rushed away toward the water hole. _

"_So where are we really going?" Nala inquired. _

"_You won't believe it 'til you're there," Simba answered. "The problem is, we're gonna have to turn around and go back home into my den without being seen." _

"_Then why'd you have to pick the water hole to tell your mom about?" _

"'_Cause water's clean."_

"_Oh." _

_The cubs sneaked back into Simba's den. "Alright, hurry," Simba said. "Subjects aren't usually allowed in my den without guard permission. Okay, remember the drawings we found identical to us?"_

_Nala nodded fiercely. "We swore not to tell anyone." _

"_Yep, our secret. Well, I found out who made them."_

"_Really? Who?" _

"_I'll show you in a moment. And you know how you always like to sneak into faerie arts?" _

_Nala had had an interest in certain magic but her mother had forbid it. _

"_Well now you can get into it without leaving home," Simba continued. _

"_Wow!" Nala grinned. _

"_This place has everything we've always wanted but everyone told us to forget about," Simba declared. "It has an exact replica of the elephant graveyard we tried to reach. And the jesters aren't lame- they're amazing! And the mystic stuff is here and there. And the tree-climbing and rapids swimming everyone tells us is too dangerous- it's all there." _

_And he moved out of the way, revealing a bright gap in the wall. _

_No sooner did he move than the two of them were already racing through the portal. _

_The place truly was amazing, full of magical, fantastic dreams come true. _

_An annoying, serious hornbill tended to follow them around and repeat to them that they better return home. Laughing outrageously, Simba and Nala never listened. They kept coming up with new fun ways to ditch him. _

_Then came the incredible, most wonderful part to top it all off- Simba was to be crowned ruler the next night in this other world! It was just too marvelous to be true. He wouldn't have to wait so long to be king- and he got to make up his own rules! And Nala was to be given special treatment as well if she stayed. She didn't mind having her best friend rule. _

_They felt so happy they just had to run around and sing joyously._

_Then the wonderful, amazing, ever-so-kind magical lioness who dwelled in this place called them into the den. She resembled the original Queen Sarabi but with shiny black button eyes. _

"_You know, my dear Prince Simba, tomorrow you shall be crowned the great king," she said, smiling, stirring excitement in the young prince. _

"_And you, too, Nala, can live in this land and learn the arts of magic beyond your wildest dreams," she added. Nala was anxious as well. _

"_But first, you two must do something- a very little favor for me- and then you can stay here forever."_

"_What is it?" the two asked impatiently._

"_It's a surprise."_

"_Will we like the surprise?" Simba inquired, unable to wait._

"_Oh, Simba, Nala, darlings, it's to die for." _

* * *

Kiara couldn't believe her eyes. The moment she came out of Pride Rock she noticed all the animals lower than lions on the food chain gathered right outside, bowing down in respect.

"Who are they bowing down to?" Kiara inquired.

"Why, who else but you, Kiara?" the Other Mother said with a smile.

"Really? Wow."

"You take your pick what you want to eat tonight," the Other Mother added.

Kiara swallowed hard, suddenly a little uneasy. Did that mean she was going to _watch _the prey be slaughtered? She'd seen the occasional rodent attacked but she didn't know if she could handle watching these animals get killed. She wasn't really ready for that yet.

She looked up at the other mother shyly and hesitantly asked, "You mean, I'm going to watch the hunt? It's not even a hunt."

"No, I've already hunted for you. The animals are just showing their respect to you. They're here for you any time you need entertainment or anything else you'd like," the Other Mother replied, turning around to head back into the den where they would dine. "You just tell me what sounds good to you right now. Supper's so great you probably can't eat it all."

"Um…a zebra, maybe?" Kiara thought out loud. She wasn't really sure. Anything but antelope would do.

"Done," the Other Mother said. "Well, come on in."

It was the best zebra she had ever feasted on. None of the gross grub toppings her father usually prepared. No, this meat was the real thing.

It tasted full of juicy flavor and was even _toasted _crisp a little, something Kiara had never tried before but instantly loved. It was sweet against her teeth and tongue.

And that wasn't all. There was an array of other dishes around. Kiara loved the mix of flavors that made her taste buds feel so alive. She was even offered some delicious passion fruit- how could the other mother had known that she sometimes would sneak off to find fruit to satisfy her hunger?

Dinner was, to say the least, absolutely scrumptious.

And dessert looked even better…she had to admit she had never really heard of cakes before (well there must've been a lot of stuff she's never heard of but it was just that her parents kept her from experiencing) but they were really, really appealing to her the moment she saw it.

"We just are really glad to welcome you home," the Other Mother said, grinning.

"Home?" Kiara repeated questioningly.

"Yes, we've been waiting for you, Kiara."

"Wasn't the same without you, kiddo," the Other Father said.

"I didn't even know I had another mother," Kiara said. She would've been more skeptical if the food she just ate hadn't tasted so especially terrific.

"Of course you do. Everyone does," the Other Mother said with an unfailing smile.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. As soon as you're done eating, how about a game of hide-and-seek? Or we can teach you how to hunt, if you'd like. We'll play a nice little hunting game. It'll be so much fun, especially in the rain."

No sooner had Kiara questioned, "What rain?" than thunder crashed outside and rain began to fall. It was a very nice rain, Kiara noted, though she couldn't really understand why it was so interesting. Maybe the illusion of it sounding like a scattered yet harmonious music building up…she stopped trying to make something out of it when she shook her head and turned back to the other parents.

"But…the mud…"

"We love mud here," the Other Father answered.

"It's good for so many things- camouflage, relaxation, art, games…" the Other Mother said brightly, getting up. "Not to mention healing and prevention. When applied right, it can prevent slippery accidents such as crossing a log bridge over a stream for example…it maintains strong balance."

"How'd you know-?" Kiara was more than surprised. "Um, thanks for the dinner- it was really good. I'd love to stay and play, but I should probably get back to my other mother…"

"_I'm _your other mother."

Kiara felt less impressed now and for some reason a little shaky. "I mean my _other _other mother. You know…the original, Mom #1?" She edged slowly past this strange but welcoming lioness. "I should probably go back to bed…"

"Of course, sweetheart, it's all made up," the Other Mother grinned.

Kiara stopped in her tracks, turned, and cocked her head. "What do you mean-?"

"Come along, sleepyhead," the Other Father urged along with the other mother, softly nudging her somewhere…

Once again, Kiara's suspicions were replaced by amazement. Her old den was just a dull old rocky den, with a hard ground that she had been okay with but not fully satisfied with. This room was much, much better. It was like a total dream makeover. The walls were beautiful with their sparkling, smooth colors. The ground felt as soft as a bed in the meadow. Blossoms bloomed in a corner. _Toys _were fluttering, bouncing, and shifting about, all saying welcome things to her as she entered.

"Whoa," Kiara's mouth gaped open in marvel.

There was even a closer, open view to outside- and the stars filled the sky spectacularly, twinkling everywhere. There were far more stars here than in her old home. And the moon made a more brilliant night light here.

"I can't believe it," Kiara said, laughing excitedly as she explored her new room.

The Other Mother held up a paw with an amount of mud on it. It seemed she never stopped smiling. It was kind of creepy but the smile looked trustworthy.

"Oh, right, the mud," Kiara said, holding up her paws one by one to be applied with the treatment. "Are you sure it won't make you sick when it's my bath time, you know, licking me clean?"

"I'm not going to lick you clean. You're old enough," the Other Mother said.

_Wait, does that mean that I'm going to have to lick myself? With mud? Yuck!_

As if reading her mind, the Other Mother laughed. "You can clean yourself off in the flowing, cool streams."

Kiara was then introduced to another fabulous wonder…she was led outside to get a sneak peek at a lovely, flowing stream outside. "Wow…"

"It's a bit too late now, but you are free to use it next time," the Other Father offered.

"Oh, okay," Kiara mumbled, her eyes not parting from the astounding sight. The flowing streams in the backyard by the beautiful little waterfall sure looked like so much fun.

Kiara nestled down comfortably in bed. The soft texture of the cave floor was the best feeling she had all night. The cool mud on her paws felt refreshing. She couldn't help but purr contently as the Other Mother tenderly stroked her.

Then the Other Mother began to sing a soft lullaby to soothe the cub off to sleep:

"_Upon the wind…_

_Cross the sea…_

_Hear this song and remember…_

_Soon you'll be…_

_Home with me…_

_Once upon a December…"_

"That song," Kiara mumbled "Where have I heard it?" It sounded so familiar yet she was too tired to think.

"Hush, my little one," the Other Mother whispered, nuzzling the little cub sweetly "You must be exhausted."

The Other Mother hummed the beautiful lullaby once more and Kiara nodded off to a most at ease rest…

"_See you soon_…"

* * *

**Sorry for the delay- I was debating whether or not to include the substory. I decided I couldn't take it out. **

**Kudos to anyone who can guess the lullaby reference! (the song, which of course, I do not own either). **


	6. The Neighbors

Kiara awoke the next day, excited for the magnificent breakfast she'd have, along with the fun of swimming in the streams and falls.

She was crestfallen as well as confused when the soft meadow grass from the night before wasn't there to greet her comfortably in the morning. The entire ground was crummy old rocks and dirt, crumbling minerals along the walls gathered like dust, though the walls were strong as stone.

The colorful brilliance of last night's den had faded. Kiara was puzzled, being in her old, regular, boring room.

She groaned as she pushed aside an old boulder, and then gasped at catching a glimpse of her paw. Was it just her imagination from just waking up or did she detect a faint glitter? No, that was impossible. Glitter didn't come from mud…then again, anything could have happened. Maybe it wasn't entirely mud…

_Heh, look at that. There wasn't any glitter. I was seeing things. _

Kiara couldn't find a single trace of any scratches from the log-crossing the other day. She shrugged. Maybe those things heal fast. Maybe there weren't scratches in the first place.

"It was _incredibly _real, Mom," Kiara described excitedly that morning. Even the boring leftover antelope (again) didn't taste so bad while everything from last night was so vividly, sweetly memorable. "Only you weren't really _you._ You were my 'other mother'.

Kiara's mother couldn't sound less interested. "Buttons for eyes, huh? Kiara, you only _dreamed _you ate all that zebra and snake-"

"Cake," corrected Kiara. "I couldn't believe anything could be so…so sweet and thick and soft and…_sweet..." _she sighed, lost in her description of such a lovely dream. "I could've sworn I tasted it."

"Whatever," her mother grumbled. "Don't spoil yourself so in your dreams. At least eat the newer antelope."

"You were in the dream, too, Dad," Kiara said to her father, putting off eating the antelope leg. "Only you were very musical and…"

Her father laughed. "Musical? Well I guess I am sometimes."

"But there were these _instruments _that made high and low notes in pitches I've never heard before," Kiara continued. "And you played them like a pro. Heck, you could play them without touching them!"

Her dad laughed right on through.

Her mom impatiently waited for him to go with her to speak with this old apparent shaman about to learn about the territory. She growled warningly.

"Right, I'm coming," Kiara's dad said immediately, getting up to go.

"Say, Kiara, why don't you go speak with some of the neighbors in Pride Rock, like Timon and Pumbaa? I'm sure they'll love to hear about your dream."

"Timon and Pumbaa?" Kiara repeated in disbelief. "But you said they're the most harebrained insectivores!"

"Mm-hm," her mother said absently. She didn't even look at her. "Yes, go visit the neighbors. Get to know some people. Then ask _them _how to get rid of boredom."

Kiara asked, "Why don't _you_ play with me? Can't you teach me how to fight? Or how to hunt? Or can't we run around the fields? The grass is moist with dew."

Kiara's mother sighed. "I'm really busy, Kiara. Try to understand. I just don't have time for you right now."

"That's what you always say," muttered the frustrated little cub.

Then both her parents left and Kiara was alone with the half-finished scraps, which she planned to bury anyway.

Kiara was on her way out to the log-bridge again, to test if last night really happened by seeing if the mud really helped her steady herself. But her curiosity always had to be satisfied first, she decided, when she heard indistinct chanting from another den in Pride Rock. The chants sounded like a march.

"Hello?" Kiara called up. She climbed up to where it was coming from, on a higher level of Pride Rock. The den seemed empty.

"Um, hello?" she called again. "Is anyone there?"

"SECRET!" roared a booming voice that startled Kiara out of nowhere. The roar had not been angry, just defensive, and rather surprising.

The cub turned around to see a lion with a lean, black mane and slightly tanned fur, as well as an old scar over his eye.

Kiara had heard some rumors about a lion named Scar…in the rumors he had gotten the scar from a buffalo's horns in a stampede he had set up crazily, or he picked fights with wild herds to make himself tough. Whatever it was, Kiara was positive it had come from an attempt at a circus act. No doubt his name was Scar.

"I-I'm sorry," Kiara stammered, trying to stop staring at his bizarre scar and figure out where he got it from. "I just was wondering what you were-"

"They're not ready," said Scar, with a hint of an accent. "No one may see my friend hyenas perform until they are ready!"

_Hyenas? Okaayy…definitely a weird guy. _

"I have to jump high enough to demonstrate the tricks I want to teach my dancing circus hyenas," said the crazy old lion.

"Dancing circus hyenas?" Kiara repeated in disbelief. He was surely crazy!

"Yes. They never jump high enough in time," he said. "They don't think big enough. They don't take great leaps or large steps. My new routine for them goes with big steps in time to 'Oompah! Oompah!' but the dancing hyenas, they only take small steps to time to 'toodle-oot, toodle-oot'. You see, I must demonstrate for them how it must go."

Kiara peered into the den. "I don't see any hyenas."

"They know they must hide whenever anyone else is present," the crazy old lion said. "They must never show themselves to anyone besides me until their performance is ready to be shown in public. What is your name?"

"Kiara."

"Kara, one day you may be able to see my hyenas dance. They'll be as amazing and famous as ever! And you, Kara, will one day have the pleasure of seeing them face-to-face, when they are ready."

"It's _Ki-_ara," Kiara corrected.

The crazy old lion seemed to ignore her correction. "Run along now, Kara, because the hyenas and I are very busy." Then he made a great leap and somehow managed to leave her sight very fast.

"_Ki_-ara," Kiara corrected again, facing the thin air, annoyed.

As she left, descending from the territory, a voice bellowed out "Wait!"

No sooner had Kiara looked up than the eccentric Scar leaped down in one bound, just a few inches from landing smack on the cub.

"The hyenas, they tell me they have a message for you. They say do not go through little tunnels. Do you know such a thing, Kara?"

Kiara didn't bother correct him on her name. "In my room, there used to be an opening," she said. "But it's closed. All blocked up!"

"Then such a message means nothing to you?"

"Nope, I guess not."

"Huh, well the hyenas were bound to be mistaken sometime. They're silly jokesters. They even get your name wrong- Kiara. Not Kara at all! Maybe I work them too hard. No, I don't think so…" Scar went on back up the rocky steps of Pride Rock. Kiara rolled her eyes and went on to the yard in the visible distance in the backyard, still territory of Pride Rock. She might as well.

Kiara scratched at the dirt on the outside of the territory.

"Oh, the newcomer Kira! Come on in, princess," Timon welcomed.

"It's still _Kiara_, Timon, and please don't call me that," Kiara sighed.

The moment Kiara pushed her way through a tight space and frustratedly beat big green leaves out of her way, she found herself in Timon and Pumbaa's land.

Kiara remembered that lions didn't prey on meerkats and warthogs ever since this one incident in the times of kingdoms, back when prides were prosperous and royal. According to one legend, a meerkat and a warthog had helped a rightful king fight a tyrant. Kiara wasn't so sure she'd believe that. But she wouldn't eat them anyway.

Their land was something like a little paradise- fit for _them. _There weren't any glowing streams to swim in like Kiara had seen the night before, nor much of a beautiful scenery. Timon swung off the hammock he had been relaxing on and picked a large leaf to fan Kiara with.

Kiara found herself striped with the shadows of the leaf over her. Timon said something about complexion of skin and sensitivity in sunlight. Kiara clawed the leaf down, annoyed.

"What, do you want a wrinkle?" said Timon. He shrugged. "Up to you, Kira."

"Kiara," the cub seethed through her teeth. Then she cooled. "Well, I guess I should start with…how's the day been for you?"

"A nice long day of doing nothing's ahead of us," Pumbaa said contently. "And at night, it's good to kick back."

Kiara thought it sounded boring. What was so…so enjoyable about doing nothing?

"Has your whole life been like that?" Kiara asked.

"Oh, not really," Pumbaa said. "We once lived in a bigger place, this oasis in the desert, and enjoyed chasing buzzards and were singers."

"But it's nice to live by Pride Rock, too," Timon said. "It's a nice historical site. Well, anything interesting happen to you when moving in, Kira?"

"Oh, nothing," Kiara said. "Really. Nothing. Except a dream, where this opening in my room that in real life's blocked up, it just magically led to this other side with another mother and the other father, and the dinner was really different. It was terrific. And the really weird part I remember most was-" she was about to describe the button eyes when she found out Timon and Pumbaa were looking through the leaves.

Her smile turned to a grimace. "Will somebody please just _listen _to me?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," Timon said simply. "Did you say something, Kira?"

"Yes, I was talking about my dream-"

"Ooh, speaking of fortunes-!" Timon jumped up excitedly.

"I didn't say anything about fortunes-" Kiara said.

"Well, now that you bring it up," Timon said. "How about you drink some of this tropical juice? Just leave some on the bottom, and we can read your future. I've been waiting so long to do this again!"

"Fine," Kiara sighed. Some juice would've satisfied her hunger, anyhow.

When she had finished, she wiped her mouth with her paw and gave the remaining content of the container to them. Pumbaa glanced at it and said, "Wow, it looks like the future's in your hands…uh…"

"No, no, no, amateur," scoffed Timon. "Oh, my, it looks like a…a hand. Or a spider, it's hard to say…no, it's a hand…"

"Well, I see a giraffe," Pumbaa inputted , flipping it upside down.

"What does it mean?" Kiara asked.

"That you are in terrible danger," Timon said.

"Then what should I do?" Kiara wanted to know.

"Get thicker fur," Timon said randomly.

"Stay away from blue because it clashes with orange or dandelion," Pumbaa added. "Huh, Dandelion…that's a nice name for a lion, don't you think?"

"Um…okay," Kiara said, while her mind was going _What??? Just when I thought things couldn't get stranger with these weirdoes. _

"Trust me on this, we're experts," Timon bragged positively.

"You might be a bit rusty," Kiara coughed.

"Well, here, then, what do _you _see?" Timon said, pushing the container over.

From the push, its contents swirled around, and when Kiara peered in, it was just randomness.

"Well…I…um…" Kiara stuttered, unsure of what they wanted to hear.

"Well, while you're thinking about it, let's eat!" Timon grinned.

They offered Kiara a leaf plate of multicolored beatles, but Kiara firmly refused. "Ew, gross…"

"Suit yourself." Timon crunched down on one. Pumbaa slurped up one of the worms, hungrily satisfied, but then suddenly spat it out.

"Oh, you always do that!" Timon complained. "You take a bite out of every one and then put it back- it drives me crazy!"

"But you can't tell from looking what the really slimy ones are," Pumbaa protested.

"Slimy? Au contraire, my friend, it's the crunchy ones that make the meal," Timon said, taking another crunchy creepy crawler.

"Slimy," Pumbaa declared.

"Crunchy," Timon argued, swallowing down another.

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

Kiara looked at each of them from side to side, rolling her eyes. She got tired of this.

"Less filling!"

"Tastes good!"

"Less filling!"

"Tastes good!"

"Less filling!"

They didn't even notice her leaving. Kiara snuck off and bounded off to the old log bridge again.

"Danger?" she mumbled to herself. "That doesn't sound bad. It sounds exciting, actually." She snorted. "As if anything exciting could happen here."

She pricked up her ears at hearing some slight pawing behind her. She narrowed her eyes and took a slow step forward. She caught the sound of shuffling behind in a sandy cloud of dust from the soil.

In an instant, Kiara whipped around and pounced, pinning Kovu to the ground. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the village stalker!" Kiara hissed.

"Ow," grunted Kovu, pushing Kiara off. "I wasn't stalking you," he said. "I was hunting for slugs."

"Slugs?" Kiara said.

"Yeah, like this one!" Kovu said, pouncing on a big, thick one.

"Pumbaa'd like that," Kiara mumbled. "So, that painting you showed me…it was nice…very interesting. Did you make it?"

"Slippery…" Kovu muttered, trying to pick up the slug carefully. "Huh? Oh, no, I just found it in our den, buried under these old rocks my brother puts together. I dunno who made it. But it's probably older than Nuka and me."

"Come on," Kiara scoffed. "Why would someone from long ago make a portrait of a cub who happens to have the same shade of fur and even get specific details of me just right?"

Kovu finally succeeded In scooping up the slug without using his claws, and then declared, right in Kiara's face, "CHECK OUT SLUGZILLA!"

"You're just like them," Kiara said.

"What?" Kovu asked, half confused, half trying to keep the slug on.

"My parents. They don't listen to me either!" Kiara said frustratedly.

"Uhhuh…here touch it!" Kovu grinned.

"Ugh, no way," Kiara said.

"Well, I understand, you princess types…can stand hunting down bloody kill but not slimy touches," Kovu shrugged.

Kiara snapped, "I'm not _scared_, _okay?_ I've crushed bugs before."

"Then this should be no problem," Kovu smiled.

"Fine. There. Happy?" Kiara tapped the slug, then rubbed off the slime on the ground.

Kovu thought maybe Kiara needed something to laugh at, so he said, "Hey, watch this."

He posed in different positions and pantomimed. Pretending to eat the slug, pretending the slug was mutated mucus, pretending the slug was bigger than him, pretending the slug was a mustache, and growing out of his mane.

"Ew…hahaha," Kiara couldn't help laughing a little.

"You know, I've never been inside Pride Rock," Kovu said, tossing the slug away.

"You're kidding," Kiara answered. "I know you and your brother didn't claim it first, and your brother said it was cursed and everything, but you've had to have been in there _sometime_, right?"

"Nope, Nuka would kill me if I did."

"Come on, why does he let an old story scare him from coming over?"

"Well…" Kovu said nervously. "It's not just that…back when our family was bigger, before I was born, Nuka lived at Pride Rock with them once. Back when he was a younger cub, he had a sister, Vitani- which means 'war', FYI, don't ask me why- who would've also been my sister, too, if she hadn't disappeared before I was born…"

"Disappeared?" Kiara echoed.

"Well, she was supposed to be sent to this military education thing," Kovu proceeded. "But one night, the night before, Nuka insisted, um, that she was stolen. When he heard about the history of Pride Rock with the lost prince and all, he was convinced that it was cursed."

"Well…what do _you_ think happened to her?" Kiara inquired. Things just got more interesting.

"Uh…I'm not sure," Kovu said. "Maybe she ran away?"

Just then, a voice hollered from across the bridge, calling Kovu.

"I gotta go," Kovu said quickly, and he seemed to be relieved by it as he darted off.

"Wait!" Kiara exclaimed, trying to get him back. He couldn't just tell her something like that and leave just like that!

But Kovu was already a small shadow of a cub fading in the distance.

* * *

**Changes: Scar isn't a murderer or jealous villainous brother of a king, Kovu never met Vitani, Timon and Pumbaa aren't from Simba's time (they live in this closeby area that you probably saw in _The Lion King 1 1/2. _Nuka is not related to Scar (nor is anyone else in this story, for that matter). **

**Please leave reviews and really tell me what you think! To be honest, I don't think much of reviews like "Cool, update soon!" I mean, I like it better than no review at all, so if you just want drop a review in little time, that's fine. I'm just saying that I like sincere reviews better, that tell me what one likes about it specifically, or any constructive criticism's good too, because it shows that the readers really cares about where the story's going or how it's like so far. So, just a note to keep in mind...**


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